Single Idea 6521

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 1. Perceptual Realism / c. Representative realism]

Full Idea

One thing which is meant by saying that the phenomenal world represents or resembles the transcendental physical world is that the scientific laws devised to apply to the former, if correct, also apply (at least approximately) to the latter.

Gist of Idea

Representative realists believe that laws of phenomena will apply to the physical world

Source

Howard Robinson (Perception [1994], IX.3)

Book Reference

Robinson,Howard: 'Perception' [Routledge 2001], p.222


A Reaction

This is not, of course, an argument, or a claim which can be easily substantiated, but it does seem to be a nice statement of a central article of faith for representative realists. The laws of the phenomenal world are the only ones we are going to get.